The Chicago Bulls defeated the Detroit Pistons lastSunday night 100-86 behind Zach Lavine’s 18 points.

It was not the best night offensively for either team, as the Bulls and Pistons shot under44% from the field. This is the first game all season this young Bulls squad has held their opponent under 100 points.

Bulls backup center and second-year man Daniel Gafford provided a major spark off the bench, contributing 8 points to go along with 11 boards.

Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said postgame that, “He did a really good job andgave us a really good energy going into the half.”

As of late, Donovan has really switched up the line up by putting veteran point guard Tomas Satoransky into the starting lineup. It seems like this change has really made the younger players such as center Wendell Carter Jr.and point guard Coby White really make the most of their minutes.

Satoransky did a really phenomenal job of running the offense the entire night, as he finished with 9 assists as well as 8 points and 2rebounds. Donovan said that Satoransky is, “always thinking on how to make the group as a whole function well, but I also think he has a mindset of understanding how to involve the entire team in the game.”

The Pistons did a so-so job slowing down Bulls shooting guard Zach Lavine all night long, as he finished 6-16 from the floor. It was an underwhelming performance for the 2021 all-star, but it still was enough to get the job done.

Defensively the Bulls were up to the challenge, as they held the Pistons to 39% from the field and just 16% from three. Not only did Chicago step up defensively, but they also stepped up inside as they out rebounded the Pistons 57-45, as well as tied them in points in the paint.

As Chicago is not the most talented team all-around, they need to beat their opponent ina ll of the little things to grind out wins night in and night out. Turnovers again were an issue, as the Bulls had 21 of them, but those are mental mistakes that can be fixed in practice and film.

If this young Bulls team wants to continue their winning ways, they must match this effort every single game on the boards and in the paint.